Active storm pattern with cross country storms bringing heavy snow, wind, rain

An active weather pattern with several storm systems is moving through the country, from West to East, with heavy snow, damaging winds, severe thunderstorms and flooding rain.

Already overnight severe thunderstorms brought huge hail from Texas to Arkansas.

Hail was as large as 2 inches in diameter just north of Dallas.

On Friday morning strong thunderstorms will continue to move from Texas to Alabama, threatening to bring with them damaging winds and large hail.

This same storm system will move into the Northeast and the East Coast Friday night into Saturday with icy mix and snow from North Carolina to Maryland, where a winter weather advisory has been issued.

Snow may also fall on Saturday, from central Pennsylvania into upstate New York and New England, which could see 2 to 3 inches.

Along the I-95 corridor from Washington, D.C., to Boston, it should be mild enough for the precipitation to remain as all rain.

Heavy rain will continue off and on across the South through the weekend, from eastern Texas into Tennessee where flooding will be possible.

There, 3 to 5 inches of additional rain could fall through the weekend and into early next week.

Meanwhile, across the West, nine states are on alert, from California to Colorado, for damaging winds, heavy snow and high surf.

On Thursday more than 16 inches of snow fell just south of Denver.

In Southern California winds gusted at 98 mph just east of Los Angeles, where semi-trucks were overturned by the strong winds.

On Friday and through the weekend, as the storm track remains active, more snow is expected for the Cascades and the Rockies, where 1 to 3 feet of additional snow is possible.

Some computer weather models are hinting a swath of snow is possible for the Upper Midwest and the western Great Lakes this weekend, from the Dakotas to Minnesota and into Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Some areas could even see up to a half a foot.